BEFORE WE FEAST
By Ed Cowell
"Butterscotch lollipop."
For once,Snape had guessed the password on the first try. The door swung open. He swept into the Headmaster's office. It seemed to be empty; soft noises filled the room. He surveyed the sleeping figures in the portraits
on the walls; they remained asleep.
When Fawkes saw Snape, he made a happy noise. Fawkes seemed to like him; it was as if he could see inside Snape,and saw something no one but he could see. Snape stroked the bird's beautiful head. "Where is he,Fawkes?"
Fawkes poked his beak towards the door leading to the balcony.
Snape opened the door to a gentle night breeze.
Dumbledore was out there,leaning against the brass railing,staring at the
glittering stars. He wore a vivid red robe. It accented his bone-white hair,which he had let it down; it danced in the wind.
"Headmaster? Aren't you coming down to the feast?"
"Yes,Severus,I shall be there momentarily."
The elderly,brilliant wizard seemed so lost in thought; Snape couldn't help being curious. There were many things he wondered about Albus Dumbledore.
Snape leaned against the railing alongside him.
"What is it?"
"Something's troubling me,Severus. I've been out here,thinking."
"Whiling away the night,wondering what has been,what is,and what is to be?"
"No,Severus,actually,I was thinking about STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION."
"Oh,no..."
"I know you never liked it."
"No...I just never got the chance to see it...you know I don't do well with Muggle things...I know you see more in them than I could ever hope to find.
I tried it a few times and it frustrated me. But what-"
"Which one of us is Picard?"
"What?"
"Of all of us,which one of us is Picard?"
"You're the only Picard around here,Albus.Even if you still have all your hair."
"There...are...FOUR...LIGHTS!"
"Worthy of Patrick Stewart himself."
"What about Riker?"
"With or without the beard?"
"Good point. I think we can agree that Poppy is Dr. Crusher."
"Then who's Dr. Pulaski?"
"Oh,who cares about Dr. Pulaski?"
"Of course,Sibyl would have to be Troi."
"Of course."
"Except she's not a tenth as annoying as Troi ever was. Sibyl Trelawney,
on her most trying day,could not come close to the horror that was Deanna
Troi." He rolled his eyes and raised his voice a few octaves."Oh,captain,
I'm sensing HOSTILITY."
Dumbledore grinned. "Worf?"
Snape didn't hesitate. "Hagrid."
Albus laughed. "Then,of course,there were all those incidental characters like Barclay and Mot and Guinan that will be more difficult,but...wait,what about Geordi?"
"Alastor,because he has the...eye thing...going on."
"Wesley Crusher...hmmm..."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Potter."
"I'm fresh out of characters,Severus. We'll finish this later. Let's go to the Feast before they realize we're gone."
The trouble was that he couldn't stop thinking about it. As he stuffed himself at the feast,he couldn't help wondering about Data and Q. He bit
into a piece of chicken and thought "Quirrel. Quirrel would have been a perfect Lieutenant Yar..."
By Ed Cowell
"Butterscotch lollipop."
For once,Snape had guessed the password on the first try. The door swung open. He swept into the Headmaster's office. It seemed to be empty; soft noises filled the room. He surveyed the sleeping figures in the portraits
on the walls; they remained asleep.
When Fawkes saw Snape, he made a happy noise. Fawkes seemed to like him; it was as if he could see inside Snape,and saw something no one but he could see. Snape stroked the bird's beautiful head. "Where is he,Fawkes?"
Fawkes poked his beak towards the door leading to the balcony.
Snape opened the door to a gentle night breeze.
Dumbledore was out there,leaning against the brass railing,staring at the
glittering stars. He wore a vivid red robe. It accented his bone-white hair,which he had let it down; it danced in the wind.
"Headmaster? Aren't you coming down to the feast?"
"Yes,Severus,I shall be there momentarily."
The elderly,brilliant wizard seemed so lost in thought; Snape couldn't help being curious. There were many things he wondered about Albus Dumbledore.
Snape leaned against the railing alongside him.
"What is it?"
"Something's troubling me,Severus. I've been out here,thinking."
"Whiling away the night,wondering what has been,what is,and what is to be?"
"No,Severus,actually,I was thinking about STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION."
"Oh,no..."
"I know you never liked it."
"No...I just never got the chance to see it...you know I don't do well with Muggle things...I know you see more in them than I could ever hope to find.
I tried it a few times and it frustrated me. But what-"
"Which one of us is Picard?"
"What?"
"Of all of us,which one of us is Picard?"
"You're the only Picard around here,Albus.Even if you still have all your hair."
"There...are...FOUR...LIGHTS!"
"Worthy of Patrick Stewart himself."
"What about Riker?"
"With or without the beard?"
"Good point. I think we can agree that Poppy is Dr. Crusher."
"Then who's Dr. Pulaski?"
"Oh,who cares about Dr. Pulaski?"
"Of course,Sibyl would have to be Troi."
"Of course."
"Except she's not a tenth as annoying as Troi ever was. Sibyl Trelawney,
on her most trying day,could not come close to the horror that was Deanna
Troi." He rolled his eyes and raised his voice a few octaves."Oh,captain,
I'm sensing HOSTILITY."
Dumbledore grinned. "Worf?"
Snape didn't hesitate. "Hagrid."
Albus laughed. "Then,of course,there were all those incidental characters like Barclay and Mot and Guinan that will be more difficult,but...wait,what about Geordi?"
"Alastor,because he has the...eye thing...going on."
"Wesley Crusher...hmmm..."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Potter."
"I'm fresh out of characters,Severus. We'll finish this later. Let's go to the Feast before they realize we're gone."
The trouble was that he couldn't stop thinking about it. As he stuffed himself at the feast,he couldn't help wondering about Data and Q. He bit
into a piece of chicken and thought "Quirrel. Quirrel would have been a perfect Lieutenant Yar..."